Kevin Duffy: Bethel ace diligently working to become most famous Matt Barnes

Updated 12:09 am, Thursday, March 6, 2014

Becoming the world's most famous Matt Barnes is a process, a gradual progression that began almost three years ago when Matt Barnes' name was called 19th in the Major League Baseball Draft.

We're talking about the baseball Matt Barnes, the 23-year-old prospect of the Red Sox whose sizzling mid-90s fastball vaulted him from Bethel High to UConn to the Boston farm system to his first big-league spring training.

It shouldn't be hard to distinguish this Matt Barnes from basketball Matt Barnes, the 3-point shooting NBA journeyman who occasionally says/tweets something outlandish and sets the Internet ablaze.

But, eh, you'd be surprised.

"It happens all the time," Barnes said from Fort Myers, Fla., last week. "I get people yelling at me, tweeting at me over what he did. I'm like, `You guys realize this guy isn't him?' It's kind of funny when I wake up in the morning and he did something."

Truthfully, Baseball Barnes is the opposite of Basketball Barnes. Baseball Matt Barnes chooses his words as carefully as he chooses his pitches.

When asked if he's fulfilled his expectations thus far, Barnes said, "I've done everything I can to put myself in the best position to succeed. I didn't have any expectations to get into pro ball."

When asked what needs to happen for this spring training to be a success, Barnes said, "I just want to stay healthy, first and foremost, and keep working on my craft."

When asked about his curve, the one pitch that needs refining, Barnes said, "I feel that my curveball is the best that it's been in any of the three spring trainings. I feel like I have a decent feel. I don't want to say a very good feel, but I feel like I have a good feel for this point in the season."

Barnes said this a week ago Wednesday. Since, he's been shut down as a precaution with right shoulder stiffness. There is no structural damage, according to reports, and it doesn't appear likely he'll be out for an extended period.

And that's good. Because Matt Barnes doesn't like to sit still.

"The kid is a ball of energy," said former Bethel pitcher and longtime friend Zack Albin. "You can't stop him."

The Barnes-Albin back-story goes beyond what you'd expect of typical high school teammates. They're three grades apart, both terrific pitching prospects. They were inseparable when they were younger, but that was mostly by design.

"He's known my mom longer than I've known my mom," Albin said.

Albin's mother, Deborah, babysat Barnes and his brother, A.J., practically every day while his parents worked. Albin and Barnes played Wiffle ball on a daily basis.

As the years passed, they lost touch. Barnes graduated in 2008 and went on to prosper at UConn; Albin, a talented right-hander, struggled with Lyme disease through high school before graduating in 2011. Still, Albin earned a spot on the University of New Haven baseball roster.

At UNH, he had 6 a.m. workouts, roommates who wouldn't sleep until 4 a.m., and a demanding class schedule. He lost 10 pounds in a week.

"I was getting sicker, and I could feel my body almost deteriorating in a way," Albin said.

Albin withdrew and returned to Bethel at the same time as Barnes, who was prepping for his first season in the minors. Their parents kept in touch, and when Barnes' mother explained what had happened to Albin, Matt left his phone number for his old friend.

They've been working out every offseason since.

"Obviously, you can see he benefited from it," Albin said. "He tore it up."

Barnes' 2012 was excellent. He struck out 10 batters per nine innings and posted a 2.86 ERA in Greenville and Salem, earning a selection for the All-Star Futures game.

The following offseason, it was back to Anytime Fitness in Brookfield to train with Albin. They pushed each other, and on one daring afternoon they both squatted 405 pounds six times, by far a personal best. Albin was getting ready for his new school, UConn Avery Point, and Barnes was headed for Double-A in 2013.

He categorizes the past year as "up and down."

"But it made me a much better pitcher," Barnes said. "I learned how to use those secondary (pitches), how to get through games and get deep into games when you don't have your best stuff."

Statistically, he was fine. His average of 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings was tops among all pitchers with at least 100 innings in Double-A or above. He could feel his secondary pitches improving: Once, in Trenton, he remembers pitching five or six scoreless innings even though he didn't have his best stuff. Barnes was eventually called up to Triple-A Pawtucket, where he made one brilliant start.

He's now a centerpiece in the suddenly loaded stable of young Sox pitchers, a group that includes Brandon Workman (called up in 2013), 6-foot-7 righty Anthony Ranaudo and 6-6 lefty Henry Owens, both of whom pitched with Barnes in Double-A Portland.

The 21-year-old Owens, considered to be the most talented prospect, has said that Barnes influenced his preparation, especially in the weight room. Barnes, likewise, has learned from Owens.

"It's easy to be in a good mood when things are going well," Barnes said. "It's when you have a bad outing, he keeps it in perspective and keeps it fun, which is awesome."

Before Barnes left for Fort Myers in early February, he was of course working out with Albin. This offseason, they squatted an NFL-like 505 pounds. They made post-workout trips to the Danbury mall for Christmas shopping and to the mechanic to fix Barnes' car and spent hours, as you'd expect, talking shop.

Albin was a second-team All-American at UConn Avery Point in 2013. There's a chance he'll get drafted. The pressure to perform will undoubtedly mount.

"One of the things that stuck with me is that Matt was telling me you can't lose sight," Albin said. "Even with all the scouts coming, even with all the attention, as much as things change around the game, on the field it's no different than it's ever been."

And so the steady progression for Bethel's ace continues. Perhaps it won't be too long before he actually is the world's most famous Matt Barnes.